Now that summer is well and truly here, I like to start thinking about how I’m going to attack the margins of my local commercial fisheries.

50:50 mix

There are lots of ways of feeding the margins, but one of the most consistent is to big pot groundbait. ‘Cupping in’ has been my go-to margin attack for several years now and providing you find a reasonably shallow depth (less than two-feet) you can create a situation where big fish feed very confidently.

The mix I like to use when targeting carp and big F1s in the edge is Dynamite Marine Halibut Groundbait mixed 50:50 with Green Swim Stim, I then mix the groundbait to a heavy consistency before pushing through a maggot riddle.

Kicking the swim off is all about timing. I think margins come in to life later in the afternoon, so I see little point feeding before then. When I decide to feed my margin, I’ll start with two large pole pots full of the mix and I’ll drop the bait in from a height, along with a couple of cups of lake water splashed over the top. This extra noise definitely attracts fish to the area. Once fish arrive, it’s simply a case of keeping them there and by feeding half a pot of the groundbait after each hooked fish, they usually stay until it’s time to pack up.

One trick that has been working for me is to over-wet the groundbait to an almost liquid consistently. By doing this it creates a lovely cloud that attracts fish like a magnet.

When using this sloppy mix, line bites can become a problem though, so I now only use this tactic in very shallow water or when bites are at a real premium.